sample
Americannoun
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a small part of anything or one of a number, intended to show the quality, style, or nature of the whole; specimen.
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Statistics. a subset of a population.
to study a sample of the total population.
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a sound of short duration, as a musical tone or a drumbeat, digitally stored in a synthesizer for playback.
adjective
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small part of anything, intended as representative of the whole; specimen
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( as modifier )
a sample bottle
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Also called: sampling. statistics
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a set of individuals or items selected from a population for analysis to yield estimates of, or to test hypotheses about, parameters of the whole population. A biased sample is one in which the items selected share some property which influences their distribution, while a random sample is devised to avoid any such interference so that its distribution is affected only by, and so can be held to represent, that of the whole population See also matched sample
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( as modifier )
sample distribution
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verb
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(tr) to take a sample or samples of
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music
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to take a short extract from (one record) and mix it into a different backing track
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to record (a sound) and feed it into a computerized synthesizer so that it can be reproduced at any pitch
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Synonym Usage
See example.
Discover More
Opinion polls use small groups of people, often selected at random, as a sample of the opinions of the general public.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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samplesimple
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samplessimple
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have sampledperfect
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has sampledperfect
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am samplingprogressive
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are samplingprogressive
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is samplingprogressive
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have been samplingperfect progressive
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has been samplingperfect progressive
Past
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sampledsimple
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had sampledperfect
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was samplingprogressive
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were samplingprogressive
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had been samplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sample
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Old French word essample. See example
Explanation
A sample is a small part of something that either represents a bigger whole or is designed to let you try something out. You might ask to try a sample of an exotic ice cream flavor before committing to buying a whole cone. Sample comes from the Old French essample, meaning "example." In social science experiments, researchers try to find a sample of people to study that is representative of the intended population as a whole. At the grocery store, you might be given a sample of peanut butter on a little cracker to entice you to buy it. In that case, you are given the chance to sample, or taste, the product.
Vocabulary lists containing sample
Statistics and Probability - Middle School
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Scientific Investigation and Reasoning
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 4–September 10, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The BEA previously derived its legal data from an unpublished survey in the consumer-price index that had an unusually small sample size.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Then, on Sunday, the story got much stranger when the FDA announced that the sample provided by “Taylor Farms de Mexico,” which had initially tested positive, was actually a false positive.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Food and Drug Administration stated, “To clarify, this false positive lab sample does not change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The case was referred to police and the FBI tested a sample of applications and found that 91 out of 107 applications "returned no results in database checks".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
I didn’t love the watermelon one, so I poured myself another sample of the chocolate tea to get rid of the taste.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
The soundtrack, by Skye-based Valstos, fused trad and electronic music and mixed in samples from the country's musical traditions.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The agency said samples of the foamy substance, as well as soil and water from a nearby stream, had been collected for laboratory tests to determine their composition and potential environmental impact.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chang'e 5 samples from the near side showed a different pattern, with substantial xenon released at both low and high temperatures.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The FDA’s investigation is focused on products from Taylor Farms de Mexico, however, no samples from the farm have yet come back positive for the cyclosporiasis parasite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He’s been making samples for a couple weeks, and now he’s got it good enough to sell to customers.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
I sampled the Cubano sandwich for lunch and ordered chocolate-chip cookies to go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
In California, they require it to be sampled and tested monthly for pathogens.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Snakes sampled in Georgia were much more likely to test positive for Oo, while Ro infections were found only in Florida snakes.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
The track has been sampled by Snoop Dogg and the Black Eyed Peas, and appeared in films like the 2009 hit romantic comedy The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
“I’ll have you know that Mr. Ice, as he referred to himself, sampled that track from the greatest band in the history of bipedal man.”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
The tests are carried out by sampling teams, which operate separately from teams that run the works.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
One of the biggest challenges is sampling bias because animals actively guarding eggs are much easier to notice and photograph than species that provide no parental care.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
The first HBC generation will be available for customer sampling next year, and the second generation will follow in 2028.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
The announcement follows the influx of social media videos showing international soccer fans sampling the dressing for the first time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mary watched one day as a zalif examined the hole in her front wheel, touching here and there, lifting her trunk up in the air and back again, as if sampling the scent.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.